Ashtrapper - Is it worth it?

[Jon1270]

FYI, I inquired about the Ashtrapper last year and they told me they were out of stock and didn't give me any ETA as to when they'd have more. I attempted to follow up a couple of times, but my emails went unanswered. I then emailed the guy at woodheat about my experience, and in his reply to me he grumbled something about the company not having its act together.

 

[NortheastAl]

FYI, I inquired about the Ashtrapper last year and they told me they were out of stock and didn't give me any ETA as to when they'd have more. I attempted to follow up a couple of times, but my emails went unanswered. I then emailed the guy at woodheat about my experience, and in his reply to me he grumbled something about the company not having its act together.

A lot of these business are operated out of home or garage. Try finding and contacting the maker directly. Might have a better shot at getting one.

 

[Jon1270]

Try finding and contacting the maker directly.

I did. They're the ones that don't have their act together.

 

[NortheastAl]

Here's that sifter I bought. It's called the Embersieve.

http://seasoningfirewood.com/embersieve-firewood-tool/

 

[NortheastAl]

I did. They're the ones that don't have their act together.

Not a good sign.

 

[Jon1270]

It's called the Embersieve.

Heh. I saw that one. It's actually a cleverly rebranded french fry basket.

 

[NortheastAl]

Jon, here's something you may be interested in.

http://www.sears.com/search=foresig...t=true&viewItems=25&redirectType=CAT_REC_PRED

 

[NortheastAl]

Heh. I saw that one. It's actually a cleverly rebranded french fry basket.

Yeah, that's it. It does work great.

 

[isipwater]

I use a simple shovel and tin bucket. I go one step further, I run the shop vac with a HEPA filter on it ABOVE the pail as I am shoveling the ash in....
I carefully lower the shovelful of ash into the bucket and slide the shovel out from under it, just as Sav explained in his post above. The "fines" get caught in the shop vac, which I have in my other hand above the shovel/bucket as I am cleaning out the stove.

usually I only have to clean out ash once every two weeks. I don't get much dust in the house at all......works great.
The only "gadget" I use in my stove is the coal sifter that I fabricated......I use that to bring the hot coals out of the ash and it works great for restarts and to burn off EVERY SINGLE COAL in the stove.....I work hard for my firewood and don't want to waste any of it!


View attachment 108550 View attachment 108551

That is a wonderful shovel. Do you ever make more for others to purchase?

 

[isipwater]

What do you guys think of this for an ember saver:

http://www.amazon.com/Imperial-Cat-...ie=UTF8&qid=1376574284&sr=1-39&keywords=scoop




Sorry for the huge photo, couldn't get a smaller one.
The dimensions are 20 x 4.5 x 6.5 inches and the holes are 3/8"

 

[Jon1270]

What do you guys think of this for an ember saver:

That's pretty similar to what I bought. Works well for sifting, but mine is wide enough that once the ash has been sifted out, it's a little challenging to flip it over inside the stove to dump the embers out. (My stove isn't very tall inside)

 

[NortheastAl]

What do you guys think of this for an ember saver:

http://www.amazon.com/Imperial-Cat-...ie=UTF8&qid=1376574284&sr=1-39&keywords=scoop
Looks like it could be used for sifting embers. And, the price looks right.



Sorry for the huge photo, couldn't get a smaller one.
The dimensions are 20 x 4.5 x 6.5 inches and the holes are 3/8"

 

[ScotO]

That is a wonderful shovel. Do you ever make more for others to purchase?

I'll be making some for guys on here.....if you want one, let me know and I'll put you on the list. I ain't in it to make lotsa money, I do it 'cause I enjoy it.......more or less, just pay for materials and it's yours....

 

[isipwater]

I'll be making some for guys on here.....if you want one, let me know and I'll put you on the list. I ain't in it to make lotsa money, I do it 'cause I enjoy it.......more or less, just pay for materials and it's yours....

Yes, please add me to your list. Thank you.

 

[velvetfoot]

What I do with the ash scoop is put it on a concrete floor in the breezeway and after a few days when good and cold, I dump it in a plastic bag lined metal trash can. Then I can pick up the bag and throw it out in the garbage when it gets partially filled (can't let it get too heavy).

 

[midwestcoast]

I'd be interested if a cheap ashtrapper type thing came out & got good reviews here.
For now I do like Scotty, but my wet/dry vac is bulky to carry up from the basement & sounds like the friggin' Concorde taking off, so instead I use a cheap 20" box fan with a 20" furnace filter taped to the intake side. It moves tons of air to catch the ash, doesn't have enough power to grab even the smallest ember AND I get to punch my Red Green card each time I drag it out
I don't doubt that Dennis can shovel ash with nary a speck escaping, but I'm hopeless at it. I always bump something against something else & poof! Also my insert is low to the ground so I'm crawling around on my knees & I don't often let it cool off so the ash is hot which means it LOVES to fly around if given half a chance. The fan/filter saves my butt on a regular basis.